exocannibalism
- noun
- /ˌɛksoʊˈkænɪbəlɪzəm/
- Offensive
- In some ancient cultures, exocannibalism was practiced as a way to absorb the strength of the enemy.
Examples
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The documentary highlighted how exocannibalism served as a ritualistic act among certain tribes.
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Anthropologists studied exocannibalism in relation to social structures in various indigenous groups.
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The captive Frenchman implores the ship's captain to properly identify him as French and thus not subject to exocannibalism, having been initially taken for a Portuguese when he was captured.
Academic text (2000)
Synonyms
Eating members of the same species, for example people eating other people
The act of eating the body of another person
An animal or person eating another member of the same species
Surface Forms
Morphology
exocannibalism = cannibalism (transparent) = exo + cannibal + ism
The productive prefix 'exo-' meaning 'outside' applied to the familiar noun 'cannibalism' yields the straightforward notion 'eating outsiders'.
Etymology
The word exocannibalism comes from exo- meaning 'outside' and cannibalism meaning 'eating people', the same idea as the word cannibal. So, exocannibalism means eating people from outside your own group.